For Monday, September 8

Wave of Power

To annotate:
Reread Chapter 9 of Frederick Douglass beginning at the second paragraph: "Bad as all slaveholders are....".  Annotate carefully.  Look for rhetorical strategies, such as:  imagery, irony, alliteration, diction (specifically the word piety or pious), repetition, biblical allusion.   Remember to jot down the effect various strategies have upon the audience. 

To write:
Write a thesis sentence regarding Douglass's purpose in this particular passage.  In your thesis, list the strategies or tools that you find most effective in Douglass's argument.

Template:  In Chapter 9 of his narrative, Frederick Douglass effectively _________________________ through his use of __________, ___________, and __________.

To read:
In a quick review of Chapter 11, find the passage where Frederick is given the sir-name Douglass.  Where does the name come from?  Read a brief synopsis of this poem.

To think about:
I particularly love Douglass's inclusion of the verses from the New Testament story of the sheep and the goats:  "I was hungry, and he gave me meat; I was thirsty, and he gave me drink; I was a stranger, and he took me in."    Why does he use this passage of scripture?  Think of it in light of his descriptions of other so-called Christians.